The Departed
by Aquamarine Mom
Summary: Klaus will wish he never left for New Orleans. This is my wishful thinking for a crossover between The Originals and TVD.


***I do not own (but wish I did) any of the characters from the brilliant Vampire Diaries. Some excerpts from the show are included in this Fanfic because when it comes to Caroline, the writer's always give Klaus the most breathtaking lines. This is simply an early morning writing exercise before the family wakes up. As you will soon see, I'm experiencing serious Klaroline withdrawal. I hope it entertains someone. This is a revised and complete version of Gone.***

**The Departed**

(Part 1/2)

I uncovered the intrusion when Caroline went to pay the hybrid special attention. It resided below my porch in the midst of yellow tulips. It was only after my death that I realized the handsome mutation had a name.

How apt for Caroline to notice the crossbreed. The otherwise flawless spring bloom was streaked with a single red flame. The hues amalgamated beautifully; a fusion between a cheerful yellow and the fury of red. I caught a glimpse of what Caroline was admiring but begged her to hurry. As the only one of its kind she remained fascinated by nature's trickery in my grandmother's flowerbed.

"It's my favorite one here! Can I have it, Bonnie?" she asked after her leather heels were already dug into the soil.

"Care, your new boots!" I reminded her.

"I bet it's the loneliest one in the patch. I'm taking it home."

I thought the reaping cleansed the group from the divergent but not Caroline. She had saved it.

"Now can we go?" I pestered sounding like a toddler as I texted Stefan.

"Hold your horses, Bon. Look. Isn't it perfect?"

The conversation was agitating me.

"Oh my God, Care! Again with this flower? Yes, it's beautiful and perfect and you can take it home but we need to go! They're waiting for us to talk to Elena again. Honestly, I can't take much more of this and I don't even think there's anything else to say."

Caroline shuddered as I spoke.

"What? Am I wrong, Caroline? If neither of her _boyfriends_ have convinced her to switch her humanity back on then there's not much else that we can do."

I couldn't detect if she was angry or saddened by my attitude.

"Bonnie, don't be that way. You're giving up and we can't do that to her. We'll just have to talk to Elena until her ears bleed. I know you don't mean that, Bon."

Of course I didn't mean it. I knew we had to help however we could but it was such a miserable and confusing situation. I was feeling anxious for Stefan. He loved Elena so much but he had no idea how she felt about him anymore. Elena was my oldest friend; a soul-sister, even if she was a vampire. My rock was Caroline. She was everyone's strength in dire times and restored our confidence when we undermined ourselves. Matt was simply a first-class gentleman. My friends are kind and loving people (well immortals except for Matt) and I was lucky and proud to know each of them.

"Bonnie, let's give her this flower. She'll throw it at my face but whatever. Look at it! How can you not smile when you see this?"

Yet, it was these very friendships that displeased my ancestors, a band of witches from Salem. They were aghast and according to them vampires and witches were not, nor should they ever be, allies. That's why it was so frustrating to reach out to them from the afterlife. Communicating with my beloved vampires is considered an act of disobedience.

Elena was not in a talking mood. She was unbearably cruel and vicious and I was ready to give up just two minutes after we arrived. Caroline of course persisted. Care endured the insults and threats from our captive friend and showed her undying faith and compassion. As we had expected, Elena threw the flower at Caroline but not a single petal was impaired. The hybrid was strong.

"Damon and I are running out of ideas. If she ever realizes what she's done, Elena will never forgive herself."

Stefan was almost whispering and his eyes lost hope. Her transition from a human into a vampire was devastating and she had deserted humanity.

Unfortunately for her, Damon was too willing to help and funneled her down. Her anguish after turning had tortured him. Instantly his voice put out her spark. Stefan pleaded against it but his brother paid no heed and Elena was lost.

"Caroline." Damon called out. "Elena wants to see you again. Alone."

Elena was very swift, agile and sadistic. She was revelling in vampirism while Caroline denied her natural urges. Elena could hurt her in the chamber.

"Care, maybe you shouldn't go. She could be tricking you." I argued and Stefan supported me.

"Yeah, Barbie. She's running on the wild side right now. We'll stay close just to make sure you're alright." Damon cut in.

"She's tied up and the Vervain is sedating her but you shouldn't be alone for too long." Stefan rationalized but we were all a little curious to hear what Elena had to say.

"I'm sure I'll be fine but thanks. Ok, Damon. Let's go."

Caroline never thought twice and returned to her friend. Elena knew she wouldn't be refused.

"I'm following her." I told Stefan and he was right behind me.

The three of us paced listening in to their conversation.

"Elena, what's wrong? I'm here. What is it? Talk to me, please."

Caroline was concerned and gentle but Elena wasn't able to appreciate how lucky she was to know someone so kind.

"Ah, here's _super_ girl. Still holding the fort and assuming all the duties? Ya'still insanely optimistic and over protective?" Elena mocked.

"I love you, too, Elena." Caroline answered and sat on her heels. "What is it? What do you need?"

"Do ya'know what would be fun...like ol'times_,_ _super _friend?" she slurred. "I'm lonely in here. How about we ditch this joint?" Elena provoked with a nasty, obnoxious air.

"C'mon _super_ friend. It'll be fun; you and me out in the town. I'll tell ya something else."

"And what may that be, Elena?" Caroline asked patiently.

The Vervain made her sound tired and drunk but there were lapses when Elena was rough and heartless.

"Let's put on our best heels and you can tell me all about the dirty thoughts you're having about Klaus." she sneered.

"Shut up!" Caroline stood up clearly not amused. "Is this it? Is this all you had to say to me? I'm not letting you use me for your personal entertainment, Elena. I love you and when you do snap out of this, you'll hate yourself. But I'll choose to be right there with you so don't test me. I'm not giving up on you. Just stop being a coward and switch your damn humanity back on!"

Caroline was resilient even on the verge of crying. The plan seemed unpromising but she wouldn't doom it to failure.

"I miss you Elena. We're supposed to go shopping together for our prom and move away to college. I need you back. We're miserable without you."

"Oh, but Care Bear..." Elena teased, "I'm living on the dark side now and from here I can see the real you. I know your secrets. And I gotta say, Caroline, they're so much more fun than regular you. Tell me, what is it that you and Klaus are doing up in that head of yours while Tyler is trying to stay alive?"

"Clearly this is not working. Do something and FAST!" Caroline yelled and angrily rushed passed our guarding positions from underground.

Tears flashed down her face and she looked like a broken angel. Elena was purely malignant. I hurried to meet Caroline but I couldn't digest what Elena had said. Was Caroline thinking about Klaus romantically? It was an absurd accusation.

"Well that was brutal." I said hoping to break the silence in the car.

"Yup. She's so mean and crazy, Bonnie. Maybe you're right. Maybe she is passed the point of return."

Caroline was failing at containing her sorrow. I rubbed her shoulder hoping to console her but I had to ask.

"What was she going on about with Klaus? How could she even conjure up such a stupid idea?"

I didn't look closely enough to notice her disconcert. She sat uneasy and alarmed.

"I have no idea, Bon. She's trying to drag us down with her."

If only I had focused on Caroline rather than fearing Klaus's further integration into our lives. Born a werewolf it was magic that had created his vampirism. Like the tulip, he was a hybrid; a mutation. I thought I was a good friend and dutiful to those I loved. If I had concentrated on who was actually important in that moment I wouldn't have been guilt-ridden later.

New vampires like Caroline are not known to be loyal to humans especially during bloodlust. That wasn't true for her. Despite her nature, Caroline was virtuous. An only child, neglected and tortured by her father, she was incomparable. It was Klaus who saw how extraordinary she was before any of us. The saying is, "_it takes one_ _to know one_". Klaus had been special all along.

I died on graduation day. I practiced excessive magic and went against the wishes of my ancestors. I wanted to protect us from Silas, the greatest immortal warlock. My grandmother warned me repeatedly against it but I was tenacious.

When I realized what had happened to me, I decided to protect my friends from grief. I managed to attend our ceremony as a ghost and then disappeared. They thought I went away to my mother and Jeremy promised to safeguard the secret for a later time. My body remained cold and unimpaired in a cave so my parents and friends could bury it traditionally. Jeremy carried out my wishes. I was laid to rest ten days later.

Tyler returned before the news and Caroline cried every single day starting the moment Klaus left for New Orleans. I know that now since I'm dead. She was a quivering mess and resorted to fits of hyperactivity to conceal her longing and confusion. She planned a perfect ceremony for my memorial, too. My favorite music was in the background and a slideshow of my photographs was on display. She selected my clothes and make up and looked after me with love and pride.

Crying through it all a smile managed to radiate from her. It was the light in her soul. She couldn't stop it even if she tried. Drowning in tears her eyes still danced.

My friends were mortified but Jeremy's reassurance helped ease their pain. I can speak to him. He's a human channel for the dead and can often see and hear me. Many witches use their power against me so I don't reunite with the vampires. I'm outnumbered but I don't give up.

Caroline organized a last slumber party at my house. My death helped Elena return to a more humane state and they spoke to me like I was right there with them. In fluffy bed socks, pyjama shorts and a tank top Caroline sprayed my favorite perfume around my bedroom. She wore arm lengths of my jewelry and hair accessories. They laughed and cried and Jeremy, Matt, Damon and Tyler delivered pizza. Stefan tried to keep a distance now that Elena and Damon were officially dating but Caroline stalked him with phone calls. I laughed and cried with them all.

Even Klaus had thought of me. I can only explain it as a whisper in a breeze, feeling an unfamiliar energy remembering me. Carefully I investigated the vibe knowing it was a creature I was not to correspond with. Klaus expressed compassion and empathy towards me and kept his phone tightly in his clutch. If Caroline needed him, he would go to her.

Matt cancelled his trip with Rebekah after hearing about my death. She returned to her brothers in New Orleans and briefed Klaus. He withheld himself from rushing to Caroline because he believed I would detest the idea of his presence. He also knew Tyler would be livid and did not want to be the cause of any drama or stress for Caroline. Klaus was selfless and I had always assumed otherwise. One day I'd find a way to apologize I thought.

Caroline was winded by his text.

**Caroline,**

**It's taking all of my power to convince myself that I should not return. I'm a burden you don't need. You & Bonnie were lucky to have one another. She was a friend of yours and I grieve for her, too. My family remembers her fondly. I'm so sorry, Love. Regards to your friends.**

**Klaus x **

She wished Klaus was there. She longed for his strong arms and gentleness. He listened to her with genuine interest and concern. Tyler was affectionate but he didn't provide a safe haven for Caroline. She extended his regards and most scoffed at the mention of his name.

"He better not show up here. Bonnie hated him, Care!" Matt warned standing too close to her face.

"Chill out, okay! Don't worry, Matt. Klaus knows better."

It was becoming harder to camouflage her frustration with everyone's attitude. They never gave him the benefit of a doubt. Damon was spared but Klaus is irredeemable. Like a leper he continues to be warded off. She texted him a picture of her ridiculous sleep wear during our final slumber party.

**Do I look like Bonnie? My heart is breaking. I'm sure you can hear it all the way in New Orleans. She was like a sister & now I can only imagine how you felt losing Henrik. I wish I could have been there to help you. Thank you for caring. **

**Caroline x**

How agitating it was for Klaus to receive her tender words. He ached to be with her and it drove him mad. He tried to stay occupied in New Orleans so he would not pick up and go. Obviously they had a lot in common.

But Caroline was in his heart and mind and he carried her everywhere. Her friends, including myself, kept them apart. Five days after my funeral, there was another loss. Caroline's downfall was upon us.

Friend-_tervention _/verb

putting a stop to inevitable harm or regret by meddling or hindering a friend's free will and decision making process

According to Caroline it was a word.

I was a lucky one. Throughout high school I felt subjected to friend-_tervention_ and Caroline's outrageous 'Triple C Plan' (care, counsel and cheerlead). These were hallmarks of her pledge of allegiance to her friends. I regret grasping the true value of the pieces to my good fortune so late.

Caroline came in search of solace at my grave the day before it happened. She asked for direction but I presented her with nothing. Again, I failed her. I didn't embark on any immediate attempt to physically reach out to her but I had planned to of course. Her confessions startled me and I wasn't reliably coherent for magic. Moreover that would entail defying my ancestors and lead to further disputes.

I never sensed the pending malice that was to ensnare her. I wanted nothing more than to hear her voice again after that dreadful scene. I sought her buoyant thoughts and begged for a second chance to comfort her from her secret grievances.

"Guess what?" she had asked sliding down my tombstone and sat with her knees tucked into her chest. Caroline always brought too many flowers.

"I got a tattoo. Like it?" she asked raising her jeans passed her ankle.

"It's a hummingbird, Bonnie. Cute, right?"

Definitely cute I thought but when had she developed an intrigue for this particular creature? It was one of the few events I may have missed as I settled in the afterlife.

"Bon, did you know that they are the smallest among all bird species? There the only ones that can fly backwards. I heard this story about a hummingbird once. It hovered in the Andes and its heart was beating so fast. It had to work so hard just to survive. What satisfaction you get from knowing you've endured another day and that all your hopes and dreams are a heartbeat closer. I miss that."

Caroline spoke as though she had trekked the mountains herself. In typical Caroline fashion she amused me and I was honored by her visit.

"Klaus told me that story. He was the man in the Andes and this little guy made him think about the beauty of humanity." she said tracing the tattoo with her fingertip.

"He told me a lot of interesting stories while he lived in this town. I think if I would have given him the chance, he would sit and talk to me for hours. The most fascinating ones were of his life as a boy. I wish I knew him before he turned. I often wonder about that lost human being. But no matter what amazing stories he had to tell, he preferred listening to me. He wanted to know all about my short existence and my dumb hopes and dreams."

Caroline seemed regretful and longing in the same moment. I knew I was expected to come to understand something colossal.

"And I wanted to tell him, Bonnie. He was such a great listener and whenever we were together, he made it all about me. I didn't want to be just a blond distraction for every plot and scheme we came up with. Because let's not kid ourselves, we were pretty devious, too."

If Caroline could have seen me she would notice my mouth fall open and my hand pressed against my chest. What was she getting to?

"Do you know how many times I caught myself trying to forget all the horrible things he did? I was close, too right after prom. I was so close to admitting every non-platonic feeling I harbored for so long but then he left. So I convinced myself that it was a good thing because it stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. But then I had to learn to live without him. I pictured him at the bar sitting at his favorite spot. I drove by his house and parked in the driveway wondering about waking up there one morning. He was a marvelous painter, Bonnie. You should have seen his art. He drew me several times from memory. Klaus always knew the most perfect thing to say at the most appropriate or inappropriate time. He must have swept me off my feet a hundred times."

She had kept her arms and legs folded into her chest but let go to dry her face with the back of her hands. She came to me with a confession and a desire to escape the sadness.

"I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Klaus, Bonnie. I'm pretty sure I have to break up with Tyler and admit everything to him and our friends. But I'm also pretty sure they will be appalled and resent me. And if Klaus turns out to be a case of poor judgement and stupidity, then I'd be left alone. I'll roam the world alone trying to hide the monster that I am. A vampire needs her broad squad, Bon. We need a support group. I can't be alone. I don't want to be by myself, Bonnie." she sobbed and tried to catch her breath.

We threw her to the wolf time and time again and she fell in love with the evil hybrid. Was it manipulation or compulsion? This just couldn't be the Caroline I knew. That's what I kept repeating but I should have stopped to listen. She had said _Klaus_ was a good listener. Could that possibly be true? I had to see that for myself so I tried finding him.

"Please, don't be mad, Bonnie. I didn't plan on this. Sometimes I still wish it was different but all I know is that he's gone and I miss him like crazy. I think about being with him the way I force myself to be with Tyler. I need to be selfish about this, Bon. I'm getting rid of this burden; coming clean with everyone. It's a chance I have to take because there's a possibility I may actually be happy."

That's when it became enough. The denial was tormenting Caroline. It was a physical pain missing her best friend and Klaus. She was lying to everyone and suffered private bouts of melancholy. Every waking thought was fighting the urge to see Klaus again. Caroline knew she was in love with him. It was time to confront her friends and especially Tyler. She had to cope with the consequences and had faith in their compassion.

Since the day Klaus left Mystic Falls, she was in an ongoing battle with herself. What was she fighting for anyway? He protected her and indulged in her existence. Lately, he had shown so much self-control and mercy. He continued to think of her and wanted to be in her reach. So why did she keep a distance? It was a foolish plan. We don't choose love. It plots for us. The universe had conspired for Niklaus and Caroline.

Caroline sat at the edge of her bed staring at the closet doors. Could she leave town? Could he be right for her? Was Klaus still the kind of man he was in his final days with her or was he fated to be a tyrant? Was he still attracted to her and curious about her hopes and dreams? Was she being fooled and about to lose everyone's respect for nothing? She rose abruptly. Caroline felt like she ran to stand still. This is it she thought. To go or not to go?

She dashed to the closet doors and hastily pulled them open. Taking a small luggage Caroline placed it on her bed. She stared at it as if she waited for it to come alive. She rushed to the wardrobe again and hauled random articles of clothing. Then she sat for a moment.

"Now's the time to intervene, Bonnie." she said looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm going so you better stop me if I'm making a mistake."

She grabbed toiletries and a night gown.

"Oh no, Care. That's not happening yet." Quickly she hung the lace attire back.

"Well, maybe." she thought again.

Finally she had accumulated a pile. Care paced the room and found her phone. Scanning her digital photo album she found Klaus. She wanted to be with this man. His mouth looked delicious. His pouty, raspberry lips were always the strongest appeal for her. They were shaped as though carved by hand. The grey-blue eyes she constantly battled to avoid could see right through her. Caroline imagined her tongue in the cleft of his chin and slithering her fingers through his short, soft curls.

Klaus had once said he hoped she would turn up at his door. He'd show her the world he promised. That's exactly what she was going to do. She would show up at his door. Where was this brash courage coming from?

**NO.**

"This is absolutely ridiculous." she said out loud.

Caroline took the jumble in her arms and tossed it back into the closet. Her hands were in tight fists and her back pinned the doors shut safe from any more sudden impulses. But she wanted it. Caroline wanted Klaus. She opened the closet a final time and packed the luggage.

She put her belongings in the trunk of her car and planned to go to the airport immediately after speaking to Tyler. They were meeting at Mystic Grill. She knew there was a chance his anger may lead to an attack and it was theoretically safer to break up in a public area. She played what she would say in her mind the entire way. The airport was freedom. Since my death, it was the first real smile on her angelic face. I watched nervously.

Tyler mentioned he had some big news to share with her but Caroline was adamant about speaking first. She was not about to procrastinate. The Grill was noisy so she waited for him outside.

"Hey, baby. Miss me?" Tyler asked pulling her to his mouth. It was forceful and Caroline squirmed in his possessive embrace.

"You are going to freak out, Care. Listen to this..."

Caroline had to make him stop. She had used all of her energy to build up the strength to go through with this pinnacle moment. She was anxious to find herself on the next flight to New Orleans.

"Wait, Tyler. I'm sorry but I need to say this. It's eating me up and I feel sick to my stomach. I just need to be honest with you right now."

Tyler frowned suspiciously.

"Should we sit? What the hell is going on, Caroline? Are you ok?"

She didn't notice herself crunch down, knotted and afraid. She was searching for the words forgetting every sentence she had rehearsed in the car.

"Tyler, a lot changed for me. Recently I came to terms with that but when Bonnie died nothing else mattered. All I could think about was my best friend. But now everything is boiling up again." She took a deep breath before she lost her nerve.

Caroline was shaking. The chill in her soul was paralyzing but she began to regain her confidence.

"Tyler, I can't lie to you anymore. I'm confused about us. Ever since you came back I've known that I look at our relationship differently. Losing Bonnie delayed the truth but I have known for a while now."

She finally elevated her head to see his face.

"I'm not the same person anymore. So much has happened and so much is going on in my head that I can't commit to us. I need some time in a new place to sort a bunch of things out."

Tyler was stirring on the bench. He stood up brusquely but immediately sat next to Caroline again. This time the sides of their bodies were touching.

"Are you breaking up with me?" he looked at her stunned and frightened.

"You're in love with me, right?" he whispered grabbing her cheeks in his hand and stared into her eyes.

Caroline's silence was deafening.

Violently he released her face and was standing in front of her.

"I do love you, Tyler but I'm not in love. I'm so sorry. I tried. I really did and I know it's hard to believe that right now. I wanted everything to go back to how it was but it never did."

A gush of tears streamed down but her remorse angered Tyler more.

"So you get to decide this for us! You want out and I'm supposed to let you send it all to hell. What did we have, Caroline? Did you just string me the fuck along?"

"No! No, Tyler, never. You have to know that. I loved you. I love you still but not the way it was. I wanted to talk to you face to face and give you the respect you deserve but I couldn't hide this anymore. I will always hate the fact that you had to leave your home and be alone and afraid but I can't change the past. And as my feelings changed I waited to be sure I wasn't messing things up for us with no good reason. But, I'm not good for you. You deserve more than what I'm able to give you."

Tyler snarled and his face contorted into twisted grimaces of fury.

"Where are you going? Where do you need to go to think, Caroline? I'll come with you. I'll stay out of your way but let me come with you. I love you, Caroline."

Those words felt like they cut her heart and she held her head in pain.

"I'm sorry, Tyler." she sobbed. "It's not going to change. I'm so sorry." Caroline wailed.

He looked dizzy and broken. Caroline wanted to hold him but she knew he was not going to accept her so closely.

"Where are you going? You know...to sort your shit out. Where are you going?" he said shaking.

"I'm just going away for a few days or a week."

"Where the fuck are you going, Caroline?"

Evading the truth was not an option for her. She had promised herself to be honest but Klaus wasn't aware of her change of heart. Caroline should have avoided it. She should have kept the trip a secret.

"New Orleans." she whispered.

Caroline thought he might faint.

"YOU ARE GOING TO HIM. You're leaving me for Klaus!" he roared and smacked the side of her face. Caroline covered her cheek and found her breath. She stood up and was relieved to see Matt running towards them.

"Tyler, it's not like that. Klaus doesn't know and I just need to talk to him. I don't know what will come of it but it's not what you're thinking. Unlike you, I've been faithful."

Matt stood closely by when Stephan appeared and signaled him to step back.

"I know about you and Hayley. I'm not stupid, Tyler. But you know what? It took that awful event for me to realize my feelings were changing. That betrayal should have hurt me more than it did and I should have left you then. But I became upset with myself instead because my own feelings were changing. I didn't want that but it happened anyway."

Tyler circled around her. "And you're in love with Klaus?" he shouted.

"What!" Matt interrupted. "Are you crazy, Caroline?"

"Matt, please go inside. Caroline doesn't need this from you now." Stefan responded solemnly.

Matt shook his head in disgust and walked away from her. Caroline was coming apart. The abandonment had commenced.

"Say what you have to say, Tyler. Give me everything you've got. I'm expecting it all. Get angry, sad, bite my head off...whatever. I'm not making excuses for myself but I just want it to be out in the open. We both deserve to move on."

Tyler looked fatal but a spine-chilling smile spread across his face.

"Come out with it, Tyler!" she yelled.

"You know, you're right, Caroline. I do want to rip you apart. I really want to hurt you right now and I will. My revenge will be so sweet and I'll watch you suffer. Maybe I'll even record what I have to tell you so you can look at yourself later because that's what you're doing to me, Caroline. You're torturing me and it's only fair I hurt you back." he smirked.

She had no idea what he was insinuating. I was agonized to be so far and unable to protect her from the werewolf. I attempted to cast a spell to cool Tyler down but my ancestors were intervening. I could feel the intense power his revenge would have over Caroline but my magic didn't work. My best friend's demise waited.

"Remember the _**big**_news I was telling you about earlier? I'm so glad you let me wait to tell you, sweetheart. Are you ready Caroline?" he scorned menacingly.

"Your lover boy, Klaus? It seems like the guys in your life need some distracting from you after all. While Klaus was in town drawing you romantic pictures, he also fucked Hayley. And I'm so glad I brought her to visit Mystic Falls because then she would not be pregnant. Caroline..." he said placing his hands on her shoulders "Hayley's in New Orleans having Klaus's baby."

Stumbling Caroline located the bench behind her. It obstructed a fall when everything seemed to have instantaneously fast-forwarded. Her brain was failing and she became exhausted. She knew she was awake but suddenly felt an unconscious spiral. His heartless words knocked out her senses and Tyler watched her pitiless.

"That's exactly the reaction I wanted to see. That's exactly what you deserve, Caroline." he jeered and taunted raising his phone to her face.

"Let's remember this, shall we?"

I was an appalled spectator trying to guard Caroline whose trembling sobs were becoming a raging pain. Why wasn't Stefan intervening? He stood impassive and quiet. I yelled to her. I shrieked and bellowed and needed to track down Jeremy for help. He could relay my messages. Help her Stefan! Why are you letting him do this to her I shouted.

"Maybe papa Klaus needs to see this. What do you say, Caroline? Let's send your poor excuse for leaving me a picture of how stupid you look right now."

"You're lying, Tyler. He's a vampire. She was with YOU. It's yours and you're covering up for your cheating." she was standing tall again having retrieved some strength and logic.

"He's half werewolf, Care. How does it feel to be his slut now? Tell me, are you still going to New Orleans?"

Caroline's growl startled me back to the scene. I was reaching out to Jeremy because there was nothing I could do from here. Something was definitely wrong with Stefan.

Caroline struck Tyler down but she could not defeat him. She deprived herself constantly from drinking blood and it weakened her power against him.

"I want to kill you but I rather watch you in pain." he smiled wiping the ground with her before leaving Caroline sprawled on the pavement.

She stopped defending herself. She wanted the pain and treachery kicked out of her. She was desperate to escape the shackles of Klaus's duplicity. She had trusted him more than he deserved. He deceived her and never mentioned it during graduation. She thought about how his deception continued through my funeral. She was in love with a monster. She was losing everything because of him and as much as she wanted to die, she was immortal.

"Kill me, Tyler. Klaus can't save me here so just do it. Kill me!" she screamed.

"This is much more gratifying." he said leaving her and finally Stefan emerged.

Tyler's phone chimed as he disappeared. Klaus's message was clear and bold.

**I WILL KILL YOU **

Caroline's phone kept ringing but she was incoherent.

"Make it stop, Stefan. Please make it stop. How do I do it? How do I switch it off?"

She didn't want to be alive. Caroline searched her body for that enigmatic liberation she had only heard of. She plunged into the tunnels of her soul hunting its depth for the controls. Her lamenting sobs begged for humanity to dissolve. Her cries were heart-rending.

"I can't take it, Stefan. Klaus..." she wept in heaving pants. "I let Klaus do this to me."

Caroline garbled a mix of fears and dreads but then my name was clear. As I withered in the distance I heard, "Bonnie! Help me. What did I do?"

Klaus was calling and messaging her mobile. Rebekah tried, too but Stefan kneeled by her limp body and stroked her head.

"You can't do it, can you? You can't find it, Caroline." he spoke peculiar and unnatural.

"It's not there, is it, Angel?"

I couldn't focus. I wanted Caroline safe but suddenly Stefan seemed too dangerous.

I needed Jeremy but couldn't use different elements of magic at once. I tried again yelling her name and getting into her head but to no avail. She was hollow and fading faster. Caroline was cold, trembling with spasms of madness.

"Is it there, darling? Do you even have a switch, Angel?"

Stefan was perplexed. He knew it was a rare phenomenon not to have power over your own will. If only one of my ancestors told me why he was so eerie? Stefan could have done more. Answer the phone Caroline I tried urging but couldn't penetrate through her psychosis. Speak to Klaus. Get away from Stefan.

"You are an Angel. Your humanity is everlasting, Caroline. I don't want you suffering either, my beautiful girl. I need to keep you pure, Angel. Let me take it all away, darling. I'll take away all your hurt."

Caroline was exhausted and disconnected from reality. Stefan was trapping her. Her body was a shell to a broken spirit.

"Look at my face, Caroline. I'm your friend. I adore you, Angel and I will take care of you forever. Let's take your pain away. How can they make you suffer like this? I can't see my bride suffering?"

His _**bride**_?

I was rammed by an invisible force of confusion and panic before I collapsed. _Bride_? Stefan picked her up gently and smelled the top of her head. Her hair fell to the side over his arm and he raised her face for a kiss.

"You are so beautiful. You are so sweet."

He walked behind the building and into the woods. She was still sobbing almost sleepily.

"You're meant to be an Angel. You are a guiding light, Caroline." he said laying her on the damp ground.

"I'll take away Klaus. I'll take away the pain. You don't have to remember, Angel. You trust this face, darling. I'll help you."

On the damp moss she looked dead to the world. Stefan's voice was soft and droning. His eyes were locked and his hands spread wide hovering over her forehead and chest. He recited a hymn, repeating a verse. This was wickedness at work. He had cast a spell of an evil warlock.

SILAS.

Silas had kidnapped Caroline. It was Silas but where was Stefan? My poor Caroline. I watched it unfold stuck in another dimension panic-stricken and hysterical.

Exhaustion silenced her. She lay weak and vulnerable and her eyes fluttered sporadically. Barely conscious and desensitized she drifted somewhere between life and death. Her phone rang incessantly but failed to bring her back. Silas looked content. Her mind and soul were in the perfect zone for him to empty their wells. Memories of joy and pain were reduced to ashes. Nostalgia and longing went missing and there was finally a vacancy within her. Nothing – or no one, could be left inside for Silas to invade. He was ready to take his place.

Regardless of his imminent raid, one waning flicker continued to burn. A single spec of life-force glimmered. Niklaus Mikaleson remained ablaze and had to be put out. Silas held her against him placing his mouth at the center of her forehead. A kiss of death became a parasite sucking at her flesh to claim her mind. Bursting small blood vessels under her skin he moved lower around her throat. One by one he extracted the pages of her book of life. The bruising pleased him.

"You will not think of him." Silas said kissing the mark near her brow. "You shall not speak of him." he murmured tracing her lips. After a deep sigh he kissed her above her breast, "You cannot love him."

Caroline looked awake but was gone. She was transitioning.

Zombie.

**The Departed (Part 2/2)**

Klaus's Lament

**She knows & it was fun telling her.**

That was Tyler's text to Klaus with a heart wrenching picture of Caroline's blow.

"Stop looking at it!" Rebekah ordered as she returned into his bedroom. "I'm sorry, Nik but she's not answering my call."

"She isn't answering mine either." Klaus murmured, an atypical, gentle utterance coming from him. His sister remarked speechlessly of his tears.

"I called Matt. He saw Caroline arguing with Tyler."

She hesitated to tell Klaus the truth. It could wound him further but at least he would realize someone chose to love him.

"Matt overheard them." she continued. "Tyler was upset because Caroline was admitting her feelings for you. She was breaking up with him, Nik. She's in love with you."

Klaus's eyes glared at her and searched the room as if he waited for his surroundings to confirm what he had just heard. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees and stopped short from falling.

"Brother, she will come to understand. You weren't dating her. You didn't betray her and you certainly didn't know what that encounter could produce. Just give her time. If you want I'll return to Mystic Falls myself to talk to her."

Klaus had a sudden need to sit before revisiting the memories of that pointless liaison. It was so insignificant and had no further effect on him once his carnal desires were appeased. It was inconsequential at the time.

"Rebekah..." he began.

"The female wolf came to Mystic Falls with _Ty-lerrr_." he snarled.

"He had a fling with the whore and Caroline was not oblivious to the extent of their relationship. I suspected it and we spoke about it during our date at the pageant. Do you see what I've done, little sister." he looked up to meet her gaze.

"Every day I've known Caroline I imagined her becoming mine. I was a pathetic, weak vampire in love with a girl. Now you tell me everything that I've longed to hear. But I single handily obliterated a worthy destiny for myself. I said I would never hurt her and here she suffers on this day for me. FOR ME!" he roared and the entire house shuddered.

"Come in, Elijah. Don't just stand there during my dirge. Reprimand me, brother. Express your disapproval but I assure you that nothing you say can strike me more than my own self-abhorrence."

Rebekah turned to find her eldest brother and recognized the face of empathy. Elijah was not gloating or revelling in their sibling's anguish. Klaus's attack was unwarranted.

"I was simply thinking that you should go to Caroline with the facts so she can come to a proper realization sooner."

"Yes, definitely. I agree with Elijah. Nik you must return to her. All she knows is whatever Hayley told Tyler. It's clear that's how he learned the news."

Elijah agreed with his youngest sibling and bestowed his affection with a hand on her back.

"Matt said Stefan was with her, too. He'll calm her down and by the time you arrive she will listen to what you have to say." Rebekah assured him.

They both noticed Klaus heed the words as he stood up and made a call.

"Stefan! Are you with Caroline?" he asked panicked.

"You have no bonds to her anymore, Niklaus. This angel in my arms is my concern now."

"_**Rip-perrr**_" he growled and the two other Mikaelsons were at a loss. Something unforeseen had ensued.

"But Niklaus you should know, old friend. My doppelgänger swims with the fish. You speak with Silas. Surely you did not forget about me?"

Klaus hunched and fell to his knees.

"No." he whispered.

"**NO!**" a loud, blaring cry broke out.

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked flashing before him.

"Get away from her!" he yelled.

"Silas!"

"She has no memory of you anymore, Klaus. Good bye, mate."

Alas they knew. Finally I communicated with Jeremy and we could at least try to rescue the shell that was Caroline.

**Witches and Vampires**

"He's taking your friend for her final cleanse, child. She will never be Caroline again after the consecration."

Jeremy, Grams, and I joined the Originals that same day. My grandmother tried unriddling Silas's intentions yet it was forbidden to aid the vampires. She did not look at them or speak to any member of the family directly. Their mother, an Original witch, transformed them for immortality and authority over the natural world. With a forceful husband by her side, Esther betrayed the laws of the universe. In the afterlife she had no place to dwell. She was shunned by her sisters and became nonexistent. Esther became a memory and was truly and eternally dead.

"That can happen to the both of us, Bonnie. You are sacrificing more than you know to help the vampires."

"Well then we'll be rejected together, Grams but at least we remain together. Please help me. I can't do this alone. I will never locate Caroline without you."

The Originals saw us fading in and out from sight but listened to our discourse. Jeremy was my link to them. I had arranged for the encounter in New Orleans while Elena and Damon searched for Stefan. There were just too many places I had to be at once and my magic was testing me. Slowly it rejected me for my rebellion.

"The girl had a light. If she had not been turned by darkness Caroline would have died a mortal death to become an Angel. She was destined to be a messenger for the Greater Ones and guide the living. This is why I'm helping, child. This is the only reason why we will do this. It's because of her light and maybe for that reason alone our ancestors will rescue us from here when we are done. We do this for Caroline, Bonnie."

"Yes. Yes, of course it's for Caroline."

Klaus was noticeably crestfallen. I saw Rebekah watching him trying to decide if she should console him but she was weary to show affection. He hated to be thought of as anything less than the most powerful creature in the world.

I was reading his mind and my grandmother heard his thoughts. How many times had he told her that she was full of light? Even on her deathbed he perceived the angelic radiance from her. But he also remembered it was his fault that she was laying there hurt. He told Tyler to bite her. It was his fault Katherine killed Caroline to free herself from his own ritual. Time and time again, up until we stood outside the Original's new home, he had hurt her.

"Klaus?" I said sympathizing for the first time.

"She was coming to see you. She was leaving Mystic Falls to tell you about her feelings after she spoke to Tyler. So all of that, all your past, put it aside. You were still perfect in her eyes."

Heavyhearted and despondent he retreated inward some more.

"Please, help me find her. I beg you." he bemoaned.

"Bonnie." Elijah interrupted. "For whatever it's worth, we thank you for coming to Caroline's side. She needs all of us to ban together and salvage her from Silas. Our family is indebted to you. I'm sure Caroline feels very fortunate to call you her friend."

Elijah was sincere and I know my grandmother resonated with his words.

"Tomorrow a new moon will manifest itself. The tides will be most effective for his ceremony during the twilight hours. Silas needs a powerful current and a gravitational pull from the moon. That will extract the spark left in her soul. He will have to lay her down under the flooding tide to wash the life out of her. Once that is complete, she will be empty for him to infect her and be his. He will have his way with her however he chooses and she will be zombified forever."

Everyone looked ill from a mental collapse. Klaus grabbed fistfuls of his hair and curled his arms over his head.

"Where do we go, Bonnie?" he trembled. "There are shorelines all around this country! Where do we go? Where is she?" his voice thundered in the air around us.

"The highest tidal range in the world is in Canada. Is it conceivable that Silas has brought her there?" Elijah asked remaining rational as his brother scrambled to make sense of it all. His fear was encumbering him.

"No, they're here. I feel his vibe but he must be somewhere close to the border." my grandmother responded but only looked at me.

"They are north." she said.

"The highest tidal waves are in the Bay of Fundy which is at the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine. The waters of the two countries amalgamate there." Klaus added coming into accord with what was more effective and important for him to do. He had to think.

"Maine? Shall we fly to Portland and then figure out where to go from there?" Rebekah asked speeding across to face me closely.

"Grams, does that sound right? Could they be in Maine?"

Her eyes narrowed and I could tell she was confused. We only had one try. Her brow furrowed as though she was trying to see or hear a message from her gut.

"Are they in Maine?" Klaus implored, seriously exasperated by the time she required.

"Niklaus!" Elijah chided.

"Let her think, Klaus. We can't go hopping from state to state. There's no time for mistakes." Jeremy rebuked the thousand year old hybrid.

"Please, Bonnie." he said ignoring the boy and beseeching my forgiveness.

"Yes. Go!" Grams cried out seeming almost delighted.

**Killing Time**

Caroline's beauty had no bounds and it seeped into her core. She was fair, pretty and comely. That she had been reduced to just a shell of herself, void of the precious gem that contained her essence, would never demean her value in our eyes. Klaus was barely capacitated to act on his own volition. His wrath and temper was blinding him and merely sedated by sloughs of despond.

"What if he had attacked her physically? She would be dead now from the Wolfsbane. How was I to get to her? What was she thinking to do this on her own?"

Klaus was ruminating about Tyler. It was reckless he thought and she put herself in the eye of a storm. She should have called him first.

"I think she wanted to surprise, Klaus. I remember her thinking that she wanted to turn up at his door." I recalled and evoked the message to Jeremy. In that moment I was only Jeremy's apparition. He explained it to Klaus and the hybrid looked agonized. He reminisced dancing with her.

The Originals arrived in Portland and waited to hear from me and Grams. After the flight Jeremy contacted Elena again. She said Damon had compelled community workers to start a search for Stefan. I didn't know where to go and who needed me most? Two of my friends were lost.

Rebekah coerced the guests of a bed and breakfast to check out of the property. She proceeded to compel the owner to make the house available only to them. They watched time tick away.

"Where is she, boy?" Klaus harassed Jeremy.

"She's trying to help Stefan. They need her in Mystic Falls, too. Her grandmother is our best bet. She's around. She's not forgetting about Caroline." Bravely Jeremy explained the details clearly to Klaus.

"Jeremy, you must be tired. Why don't you resort upstairs for some rest? I'm sure you will advise us promptly when Ms. Bennett returns." Elijah dismissed him. "You have been very kind. Let us know if your sister requires our assistance."

Klaus was outraged at his brother.

"You are not going anywhere until I have Caroline with me and alive! You are to stay here awaiting further instructions from Bonnie."

"I was merely suggesting that we can mobilize help for them in Mystic Falls. Of course we are staying with you, Niklaus. When will you believe that, brother?"

Jeremy disappeared quietly from the grand foyer.

"Sorry, Mate." Klaus apologized weakly under his breath.

"Yeah, that's ok. Caroline was always good to us."

"_**IS**_. She _**is**_ good to you. Don't refer to her like she's in the past."

Jeremy looked contrite but Elijah politely motioned to disregard his brother and move along.

Klaus stood by the inn keeper's desk and lowered his head. Clenching his fists and teeth he continued to look down onto the granite surface.

"We can't just stand here!" he roared and hit the immovable partition, smashing it to smithereens over the glossy, pine floor.

"Please, brother. We don't know where she is in this entire state but at least we're closer. Trust Bonnie, Nik. She has Caroline's best interest at heart. You need to feed. Come and hunt with me. We'll return in moments." Rebekah tried persuading him but had a frightened tone.

"She's right, Niklaus. We need to feed and have maximum strength to combat Silas. Caroline needs us strong."

Klaus turned to look at his siblings and nodded slightly to indicate his agreement. He was frantic and forlorn. He wanted Caroline safe in his arms more than anything even if it meant he had lost her love.

**Chasing the Light**

"A lighthouse!" Klaus was infuriated.

"New England is dotted with lighthouses. Tell your grandmother she has to do a lot better than that, Bonnie. We're wasting time." he bellowed at me.

"Grams said there's a date - 1879. It's a white tower with a black lantern. She says there's a red roof close by."

My powers were waning and no doubt our ancestors held me responsible for our channeling. They kept reminding me that Vampires were our enemies. My body continued to work as a spirit to the Originals but many times they depended solely on Jeremy.

"Klaus, here's a book on Maine's Lighthouses. Maybe we can find something close to that description in here." Jeremy said advancing towards him. Klaus snatched it and flashed to a small, round breakfast table.

With all the power he possessed Klaus thought resorting to a coffee table book was ludicrous.

"Bonnie, is there anything else? Does your grandmother see any other features that may help us?"

Grams stood beside me with her elbows tucked closely to her waist and her palms raised by her shoulders.

"She's trying, Rebekah. Her trepidations are for Caroline. She remembers her and liked her a lot. She's trying to ignore her sisters."

Rebekah's chin quivered. She regretted not being more amicable with Caroline and Bonnie but hoped they would have a chance to know each other better.

"Bonnie, there are so many white lighthouses with black lanterns in this area. You have to give us more." Jeremy said with a doleful face.

"She said 1879."

"Child..." my grandmother intervened.

"Caroline will be moved when the moon buds over a nubble mass rising from the sea. The rushing tide over long and short sand will be the cleansing near a golden rod."

An impatient huff escaped Klaus as we all glanced simultaneously around the room hoping someone understood.

"Caroline will be moved to a sandy location near a rod? What kind of rod; a stick, a pole, a spear. He won't harm her. He wants to claim her." The possibilities were endless Elijah thought.

"Long and short sand? Granules..." he continued to pace the room pressing his lips into a fine line as he fiddled with his ring.

"1879." Rebekah reminded him.

"White tower, black lantern and a red roof..." I added.

"A nubble mass rising from the sea." Klaus muttered standing rigidly.

"I have to ask? What's a nubble mass?" Jeremy enquired.

"It's a lump much like a protrusion." Klaus kindly clarified.

"Oh shit! Look at this. Nubble Light, Klaus! The light keeper's house has a red roof and the tower is white and black."

Klaus studied the image.

"It's off the mainland and the cape projects passed the surrounding sea level. Where is this?" Klaus demanded.

"Somewhere called York." Jeremy answered.

"I'll Google the name right away." Rebekah announced.

The energy in the room was suddenly hopeful.

"Are they on the right track, Grams?" I asked taking her hand in mine. Klaus approached us with a fixed stare needing affirmation.

"Yes." she said. Klaus exhaled looking up around him.

Elijah was relieved and encouraged his brother with a thump to his shoulder.

"We'll find her, Niklaus. Caroline's a sister now. We won't stop until she's safe."

Klaus felt like he could sink from exhaustion but they must go to York. He thanked Elijah by exhibiting fear and humanity with the tears that glazed over his eyes.

"It's good to see you again, brother. We missed you." Elijah's voice quaked.

I observed their interaction and was convinced. Caroline loved him for good reason.

"I found it!" Rebekah pulled us out from our trances and read from her mobile.

"The York area consists of two beaches, Long and Short Sands in the Gulf of Maine. The world's highest tidal waves from the Bay of Fundy are included within the scope of the gulf. The _Goldenrod_ is a signature place for their world famous saltwater taffy. Cape Neddick or _Nubble_ Lighthouse was first illuminated in ...1879." she regarded Klaus with a beaming smile.

Klaus brushed his hair back with his hand and drew a deep breath before speaking.

"Let's go to her."

**The Hereafter**

Klaus stood alone by the sea. A permanent look of fright and panic was etched into his face since the events. The ocean swells rose from the blowing wind. It's a serene place to hold your lover he thought with the lighthouse in the near distance. What would be of him and Caroline? What was the warlock doing to her? Where was she? When she would be safe and in his vicinity, Silas's suffering would be unlike any other pain and torture. Tyler's would follow.

"Caroline..." he whispered her name in the breeze.

He remembered seeing her for the first time. She was Tyler's caring girlfriend protecting him from the transformation into his own hybrid. She dazzled Klaus. There had never been a face that haunted him in that way in all his years of existence. It must have been the light. He knew she could be the death of him.

Caroline was a curious and beautiful blend of an astutely witty and kind girl. He truly enjoyed her and fell in love on her birthday. He was never going to let her die. He found deranged means of seeing her but in the end she had unhinged the balance in his world.

"Klaus?" I called for him.

He turned to me horrified as though he missed something.

"Don't worry. We're all still waiting. There's no sign yet. It's early." I explained.

"My grandmother says we need to recharge Caroline's mind with memories. She needs her life back. That's the good and bad, Klaus. It has to start from the beginning and lead its way to Silas. You will have to remember it all and pass it to me. I need to convey them to her. Whatever it is you need to help me see the parts with you in them. Don't leave gaps. You'll risk it."

Desolate he shut his eyes and clamped his fists. He understood.

"I love your friend, Bonnie. I'm in love with Caroline and want her to return as herself, with or without me by her side."

"She loves you, Klaus. When you left she did everything to keep busy in classic, neurotic Caroline fashion but she missed you. She sat in her car by your empty mansion and pictured you there. At the pub she sat in your favorite seat by the bar."

"Stop!" he scowled. "That's never going to happen again once she remembers my vile and immoral life."

I walked closer to him and in that moment I forgot I wasn't human. My hand was on his arm and he could feel it.

"Don't for one minute think she had forgotten all the unpleasant things about you. But none-the-less she was coming to you. That has to mean something."

"I made her want to shut her humanity off. She's with Silas because of me! I don't deserve her, Bonnie."

"But you want to." I interjected.

"Yes. That's always been the case since I laid eyes on her but I failed miserably."

Only time would tell their fate.

**The Pearl by the Sea**

Jeremy delivered Grams the essentials for her spells. She was adamant to stay away from the vampires until the magic was cast. Their hands or breath could not taint the mixed ingredients of stones and gems.

The one new age shop in the village was bountiful and by Jeremy's enquiries, the shopkeeper perceived his serious need for the goods. Grams had sent him with clear instructions. Much of the assortments were fabrications that included manufactured dyes and elements. Jeremy agreed to wait for the woman's private collection from the back of her store.

"Wear the Obsidian around your necks. This will act as a mirror. If Silas tries anything against you, it will hit the necklaces and reflect back to him." I explained as Jeremy distributed the pieces to the siblings.

"Caroline is weak. She has not fed and has lost all of her energy. She will need to feed but she may not have the strength. You will have to inject her with blood. Begin with Jeremy's since he is human and each of you can follow thereafter. Rebekah has the needles. If and when Caroline can feed, then one of you should allow her to your vein."

"I will be the one." Klaus declared.

Rebekah emptied her purse and they began their extractions with stolen hospital supplies.

"I will place this crystal wand by my grandmother on the ground pointing towards Caroline. Therefore, it's crucial that we do not make an appearance until Silas has positioned her on the sand. The wand should not be touched once it's down. Do not circle Silas or Caroline until I say so. Is that understood? Klaus?"

It was a demand.

"Understood." he replied.

"Elijah, you will inject Caroline while Jeremy keeps you all linked and in communication with us. Rebekah you will hold this pendulum up towards the moon. It responds to electromagnetic energies and it will radiate itself to counteract the gravity effect on Caroline. It will also increase her life force. The Red Jasper will root her to Earth and intensify her energy. As for Silas..."

I moved slowly to Klaus staring into his unblinking eyes.

"You will do what you know best. Fight. You will fight Silas but only after the wand is down, the pendulum is up and Elijah is performing the injections. If we manage to build a dome that excludes Silas, then fighting won't be necessary. I'll be recharging Caroline's memories and you should be by my side. The good news is that we have two ancestors helping us. It seems Silas has dead enemies."

Klaus was attentive but his blatant fear was almost a tangible presence in the room. I knew that if he could Klaus would swop places with Caroline. I think each Original would have done that for her and their brother. I wanted her to be a part of that. She deserved a family. This was the support group she had talked about needing throughout eternity.

"You must know that he will not want to let her go. This is about claiming her more than it will be about protecting himself. Silas's instincts will be to take Caroline and run. He wants a partner and his emotions will be his weakness."

It was impossible not to over think the details while the Originals paced the small seaside home. Rebekah compelled the owners to leave their cottage until after midnight. The waiting made Klaus frantic. He had too much time to fret and hesitate.

"Why haven't we discussed another strategy? Should this fail we don't have another plan. We are not prepared! One way or another I'm leaving with Caroline tonight."

"Klaus, this is witchcraft and only magic can break his spell on her. My grandmother will use everything she knows to save her."

My words failed to comfort him.

"And if she knows nothing! What if she doesn't know enough? You say there are other witches helping. What do they know? Think of something else, Bonnie."

"Let us focus on our tasks, brother and trust the witches will do everything in their knowledge and power to help Caroline. None of us here want to leave Caroline behind." Elijah tried to pacify him.

"That's not an option." Klaus answered with a ghastly, wrathful growl.

"Child?" my grandmother had everyone's attention.

"It's time."

The high tide pushed the villagers away from the shore. A location spell led us to Silas's chosen area. We knew he needed a secluded place to complete the hex.

We waited on a rocky incline for them to materialize in the night. Like predaceous animals the Originals stood chillingly erect and strong. Rebekah and Elijah had come to regard Caroline as a sister. I was concerned for Klaus. Seeing Caroline after so long in an unrecognizable state might jeopardize his self-control and put her at risk.

Each of us refocused our eyes to make out the image in the distance. The figure surfaced from nowhere. Silas held Caroline in his arms like a rag doll. Rebekah and I couldn't contain a whimper and Klaus tipped his head to the side in anguish. I sensed a primal scream in his body fighting a response to attack. Jeremy and Elijah watched him to secure his position.

Caroline was lifeless. Her beautiful, blonde hair draped behind her barely skimming the sand. He stopped to face the moon and stood silently in a daze. I knew better. He had commenced the recital of his spell.

But he couldn't hold her throughout the casting. She would need the tide for cleansing. Silas had to position her on the ground.

"Put her down." I scowled.

The seconds felt like hours. Klaus's hands were pressed into fists and even in the dark I could see the veins jutting under his skin.

"Get away from her." Rebekah cried.

PUT HER DOWN.

PUT HER DOWN.

PUT HER DOWN.

At last she rested on the wet, rippled sand. The tide was rolling in from under her. Silas kissed her mouth with the slight touch of his. Klaus swallowed with revolt and his throat bobbed from taming his beastly hunger to bombard the warlock.

"He has to step away from her. He can't be too close during the ritual. Rebekah, raise the pendulum." I ordered as I went to place the wand down. My grandmother was below us on sandy ground.

"The domes are up." she warned looking taken aback.

That happened too quickly.

Elijah turned to me awaiting confirmation.

"Go." I commanded. "Rebekah, you, too."

In a nanosecond they were there. Silas pressed his wrists into his eyes and bellowed.

"She's mine! Demons! Angel, they're demons!" he said in trembling heaps.

"Bonnie, damn it! What do I do? Tell me!"

Klaus could not be held back anymore.

"He's veiled in but that's not from us. Someone's blocked him, Klaus. We can go to Caro..." he was gone.

Jeremy met me in the dome. There was no time to worry about the other forces around us. It felt friendly enough. The tide was higher spilling over her body. Silas clad her in a flowing night dress and it sealed against her surging curves. She was cold, wet and so exotic. The sadistic contusions around her ivory body vexed and sickened us.

"Caroline..." Klaus whispered releasing a torrent cry.

Silas admonished Caroline as Klaus looked broken. He wanted to run away with her but he had to eradicate Silas's existence. Grams was still in a trance and the wand dispatched her magic in our direction.

"Stay here, Klaus. It's time to put the memories back. You have to help me with your private ones. She has to feel your love. You're the only spark left." I explained looking earnestly up at him. "You can touch her. It's ok." I told him.

His hand caressed her hair and he cupped the side of her face in his palm.

"Caroline, this is Elijah. Do you remember me? I'm Niklaus's brother and I'm here to help you. I need to do this so you can be with him. You'll be fine, Caroline. I'm a friend."

Elijah injected her in the arm as his thumb stroked her flesh.

"You'll be fine, Caroline. This will give you strength."

"Is it working?" Rebekah was scared and anxious but continued to hold the pendulum above her.

"I don't know." Klaus muffled in a low, desperate voice.

"Love, please wake up." he kissed her forehead.

"Agh, I want these bruises off her! What did you do!" he bellowed rising to meet Silas's gaze. He looked just like Stefan.

"Stay, Klaus. We need you here. Let's begin."

This was the breaking point. We had to insert the pages to her life. I tried to recall the memories she had only spoken about from her early childhood. She needed to remember it all; her neglectful parents and their brawls. She often missed grade school because of their busy and careless nature. She had to re-experience the torture from her own father, the wolves and Alaric.

It was a lot to focus on and I dropped to my knees rocking to and fro in heaving pain.

Poor Caroline.

"I'm sorry, Care but I need to put these back." I sobbed uncontrollably.

I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth and infused her life back into its place. My eyes remained closed but the tears were gushing. She was in a sleep like state. Her eyes cringed and her lips separated. Caroline's long, slender fingers curled.

"This is good, right?" Klaus was losing control of himself. "Elijah, look. She's moving!"

"I see, brother. She can see the memories"

Her face was stone cold until grimaces of horror and sadness made her mouth tremble. Klaus would do anything to fast forward the nightmares. I shook inconsolably. There were too many visions I hated to bring back to her. I felt Jeremy's reassuring hand on my shoulder. The Originals could see me clearly and this made our mission somewhat easier.

She saw Matt and Tyler; Elena, Stefan and Damon.

Oh Damon!

"What did you do, Damon?" I said forgetful of Klaus's proximity. No doubt he would find out more about that memory.

"Don't make her think about it for too long, Bonnie. Move on." Jeremy chided.

The boy knows Klaus thought.

SALVATORE.

"I'm so sorry, Caroline. I have to put this, too."

"What? What is it?" the men asked almost in unison.

"Katherine."

I didn't have the strength to resist the horror from this specific memory. I crumpled crying with Silas's screaming voice in the background.

"Oh my God I just saw my best friend's murder."

Jeremy knelt down and squeezed my knee. My eyes were shut but I knew he was crying, too. All the vampires were suffering with me and Caroline.

I had to regain control.

"You see, Caroline. That's Stefan. Stefan helped you. Silas took his body. This is your friend." I tried explaining as I watched Stefan guiding her through transition in my mind's eye.

"Klaus..." I said

"It's you. You're entering her life now."

He was torn and grief-stricken. What should have been pleasant memories were sorrowful and upsetting. Elijah encouraged his brother with a curt nod.

Klaus and I shared the moments back and forth and I reset them into their rightful place. Caroline saw him force feeding Tyler Elena's blood.

She remembered Tyler sedating her to safety during Mikael's entrance. Both he and Klaus didn't want her in harm's way. Klaus had cautioned him, "There's your pretty little girlfriend. Feel free to warn your friends." Seeing Caroline for the second time ignited his passion for the incredible blond.

Slowly she remembered more about Tyler, flashes of her friends and her first birthday as a vampire.

I had baked a cake with Elena and we surprised her with Matt. We reminded her how she was still our old Caroline- always our friend. Of all the things she could wish for, this vibrant, funny girl asked for direction. She hoped to be steered in the right path as a _'monster' _and then Klaus appeared in her bedroom.

Her delicate beauty had instant power over him. She had not completely feared or rejected the villain. Caroline spoke with him, listened and looked deep into his eyes. If she hated who she had become, then he would help her face death. But he wanted her alive and in his life. Klaus fell in love with Caroline on her birthday. She was his salvation. Klaus was her path. It was meant to be.

A bracelet lingered in her mind longer than anticipated. This was a good sign. Caroline was thinking and remembering.

"Klaus, did you give her that?"

"It was a birthday gift."

Caroline found it next to her bed. In the night he had returned to her and I helped my friend see how tender and captivated he was by her sleeping form. He watched for hours falling deeper into the depths of love.

"Wishes come true after all." I said. "He's your direction."

At the Mikaelson ball she remembered his handsome figure across the room. If no history was tied to him, Caroline would have definitely sought the man to know him better. His voice, his scent, his gentle touch...

She was floating in the ballroom again.

_**Give Me Love Like Never Before**_

'_**Cause Lately I've Been Craving More**_

_**Give Me Love**_

_**Give Me Love**_

"Klaus she's dancing with you and you can't stop staring." I smirked contently for Caroline.

"She's a glorious dancer." he said holding her hand.

It was probably wiser to move the memories at a more rapid pace but Caroline was lost in this one. There was so much sadness in her life and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't allow her to relive this precious moment.

I turn the page.

"_**Take a chance, talk to me, get to know me..."**_

"_**What do you want to talk about?"**_

"_**I want to talk about you. Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life."**_

"_**Just so you know I'm too smart to be seduced by you."**_

"_**Well that's why I like you."**_

Klaus gasped. Caroline had seized his hand tighter.

"She knows I'm here?" he asked like a boy.

I nodded.

"_**Perhaps one day, in a year, or in a century from now, you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."**_

During the 20's decade dance, Caroline knew. He said he was leaving and her entire being dropped. She was frightened that it was true. She knew then she was falling in love.

The burning and ripping pain from Alaric's kidnapping was next but soothed quickly by Klaus's voice.

"_**It's me. It's ok. You're safe."**_

As if she had known him forever, Caroline was safest in his arms.

"_**It's me." **_

I turn the page to their first date at the pageant. The hummingbird...that's where she heard the story I thought to myself.

"Klaus look at her left ankle."

Confused he slid her dress away from her numb feet and saw the tattoo. The tears trickled from his cry.

"Oh, my Love. I'm so sorry."

I focus on a conversation with Damon.

"_**What is it that you say to her?"**_

How he had wanted to deserve her from the start. Why hadn't anyone noticed?

Then without warning or understanding we saw her chest jump as Caroline hauled a cry.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked terrified.

"Caroline!" Silas called. The evil warlock was truly apprehensive for his hostage.

"You stabbed her, Klaus."

His misery and heartache pushed him to the ground weeping like the day he brought Henrik's body to his mother. Elijah looked away covering his mouth with his hand. This could jeopardize Caroline's rescue.

"But you fed her your blood again. She never wanted anyone else's after that. Caroline only wants you."

Klaus knew I was trying to make him see a light at the end of this desolate tunnel and thanked me.

Turn the page.

The twelve witches...

Turn the page.

Silas is in Klaus's head...

Turn the page.

The dress...

Turn.

Prom...

Turn.

A message from New Orleans...

Turn.

Graduation...

Turn.

My death...

Turn.

Packing for New Orleans...

Turn.

**TYLER HAYLEY KLAUS... BABY**

She was stirring. Caroline's head shook harshly to the sides, her hands rose to her heart and the sobs escaped.

"No. No, no, no!" she wailed.

It was time for me to open my eyes.

"Caroline, it's me! It's Bonnie, Care. I'm here with Klaus. Don't think about that too much. It's all good. You will fix things with Klaus because they weren't really broken. He's your direction. He's your way. I see now how much he loves you. You both did and said things you regret. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Caroline."

I saw my tears wet her pained face and she cried with me.

"Feed her, Klaus."

He ripped open his wrist with his fangs and nestled her head onto his lap. Stroking her hair he placed his bleeding arm to her soft, cold mouth. She smelled its familiarity. She could taste the saccharine flow dripping in between her lips.

KLAUS

Caroline unlocked her mouth and drank his life force into her. Her eyelids relinquished their hold on the light from her beautiful eyes. They were open and free to dance again. Caroline forced down tightly on his arm delighting in his closeness.

My Klaus she thought.

When she let go he wiped her mouth and chin with his gentle fingertips and put fluttering kisses around them. Klaus captured her bottom lip in between his teeth and inhaled her scent and softness.

"Caroline..."

I hadn't noticed Grams moving towards Silas until Elijah started to approach the invisible cell. A woman with gray lank hair stood motionless with an arm extended before her. Her hand looked to be pressing against the wall of the dome while the other was elevated by her shoulder. This was not a random wanderer or passer-by.

"Who are you, sister?" Grams asked.

"My name is Ruby and I do not bring harm or mischief."

"Why have you come to help us?" Elijah asked vigilantly.

Jeremy appeared next to them.

"It's you. You're that...that lady... from the store." Jeremy spoke with a soft, halting voice.

"Prior to meeting you, he came to my shop. I sensed his energy immediately and knew someone in this town was in peril. So I began a blockage curse. Then you came in and I was struck by your requests. I knew it was a recipe to reverse his plan. Your presence was one I trusted. So I helped." she said in a soothing, placating voice.

"Why has he not retaliated? Is the dome that powerful?" Elijah asked.

"Within the stones I sold to him were marbled fragments of pearls. A pearl symbolizes purity with special conduit to the heavens. It tranquilizes malevolence while aiding its victims. Her light, even as a creature of the night, magnified the pearl's force."

"I have the spear." Grams announced. None of us knew there was another weapon.

"Two sisters from the afterlife have helped us."

"I know. I could feel their presence here." Ruby answered.

"Most super naturals can defeat him now. His extinction is upon you."

Elijah and Klaus were face to face with Silas. Klaus's muscles and veins strained against his skin. Rage rushed through his body, flaring his nostrils and he was eager to destroy him.

Grams gave Elijah the spear. It was the first time she directly communicated with my friends. Rebekah and I remained with a feeble and confused Caroline. The bruises were healing.

"It's an Onyx entity ejector. Gouge it deep into his chest before you slash his head and trunk. Once that is complete, Silas will be extinct." Grams explained to the men.

From inside the smaller dome a rumble of roars and growls bellowed and thundered in the air. Together the two brothers restrained Silas and Elijah gored and stabbed him through the heart with the black, gleaming spear. Helplessly and devitalized Silas watched Klaus seize him. Time dwindled and all the torturous acts he imagined marring and punishing Silas with were not of importance anymore. Klaus missed Caroline already.

"She's mine. She was always mine. You had nothing."

Klaus's incredible strength looked effortless as his hand sliced Silas's torso off his hips and the two thousand year old warlock was then beheaded.

Another harrowing cry broke free from the hybrid.

"Caroline is waiting for you, Niklaus. Go to her." Elijah was a voice of solace.

Klaus disappeared but resurfaced next to Caroline securing her in his arms and against his chest.

"I was coming to your door." she said to him in the softest voice he had ever heard.

"Well I'll just have to carry you there instead, Love." he whispered and a wide smile dipped into his cheeks. How she had missed his face.

"Are you still in love with me?" she asked weary of his answer.

"A word doesn't exist for what I feel, Caroline. But we have an eternity to think of one together." he said kissing her again.

He raised a brow, "That's it, you know? I'm the last one. You had your chances for other loves."

"Klaus, you're the only love."

He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it ferociously. Caroline turned to set her eyes on me.

"Hey you." I said sobbing again.

With a deep sigh and more tears she asked, "Please tell me you're staying."

I looked up at the stars to find the words.

"I never really left you, Care. Besides, you still talk so much and go on and on so I have no choice but to listen to you most of the time." I said and we laughed.

"I think I heard you...in my head. I think I heard you calling me."

"Duh! Yeah! Do you know how many times I yelled your name?"

"Sorry, Bon."

"I never want to see anything like that again. You're gonna kick Tyler's ass when you get back."

"Oh, I've got that covered. I'm looking quite forward to it, actually." Klaus gibed maliciously.

"You still haven't lost your touch I see." Caroline smirked and bit her lower lip.

"Admit it, Love, you think it's sexy."

"Welcome back, Caroline." Elijah returned.

"Thank you...for helping me." she told him.

"Yes, Caroline I'm so happy you're safe, too." Rebekah said holding back tears.

"Uhmm...Bekah...you can put the pendulum down now." I reminded her and a quiet laughter came from her brothers.

"Oh, yes. I forgot." she said looking embarrassed and knelt by Caroline.

"It's Elena." Jeremy said looking at his mobile. "They found Stefan."

So my work was done and the wrongs were right. My guilty conscience was liberated and Grams had a hand out to me once again.


End file.
